Qantas: stolen data from 5.7 million customers leaked online
Sydney, Australia -- Australian airline Qantas said Sunday that data from 5.7 million customers stolen in a major cyberattack in...
Geostrategy
US announces deal for Qatar air force facility in Idaho housing F-15 fighter jets, pilots
The announcement comes soon after President Donald Trump signed an executive order vowing to defend the Gulf Arab state against...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Oman’s Sultan to visit Iran on President Ebrahim’s invitation
Oman has close ties with Iran and played a mediating role between Tehran and Washington in the build-up to a...
- The visit which will kick off on Sunday follows a Chinese-brokered rapprochement deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran announced in March.
- The visit comes a year after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Muscat -- a trip that saw the two countries sign a string of trade deals.
Geostrategy
Libya watchers see signs of progress toward reconciliation
The discord in one of the two rival governments, based in the east and backed by Khalifa Haftar, where the...
- The political rupture in the east has reversed the fortunes of Bashagha, who a year ago launched an attack on Tripoli that was repelled after a day of deadly street fighting.
- Tripoli-based interim PM Abdulhamid Dbeibah has used the "paralysis of the eastern government to consolidate his grip on political and economic life in Libya", said an analyst.
Economy
China scammer uses AI to pose as man’s friend, steal millions
The victim, surnamed Guo, received a video call last month from a person who looked and sounded like a close...
- Guo was persuaded to transfer $609,000 after the fraudster claimed another friend needed the money to come from a company bank account to pay the guarantee on a public tender
- Realising his mistake after messaging the friend whose identity was stolen, Guo alerted police who notified a bank to stop trasaction and he managed to recover his 3.4 million yuan
Geostrategy
Israel passes budget with controversial cash for ultra-Orthodox
The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent recent weeks cutting deals with his ultra-Orthodox and extreme-right coalition partners, to meet a...
- Thousands of Israelis marched through Jerusalem on Tuesday to protest the government's plans to hand more cash to the ultra-Orthodox minority
- The 2023-2024 budget of Israel was ultimately passed early Wednesday with the support of all 64 coalition lawmakers in the 120-seat parliament
Geostrategy
Sporadic shelling as combat eases after Sudan ceasefire
Sporadic artillery fire still echoed in Sudan's capital, but residents said fighting had calmed following a US and Saudi-brokered ceasefire,...
- The battles since April 15 have killed an estimated 1,000 people, sparked mass evacuations of foreigners and forced over a million people to flee their homes.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a video message that the truce is "backed by a remote monitoring mechanism" supported by the US.
Business
Gazprom 2022 profit at US$15bn
With Europe off limits, Gazprom has turned toward Asia.
- Gazprom said, "Profit margins were impacted by an increase in tax payments in the second half of the year."
- Western sanctions have heavily impacted the company headed by Alexei Miller, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin.
Geostrategy
UK Business Secretary to visit Gulf countries to boost trade ties
LONDON, UK - British Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch will hold talks for a modern, comprehensive trade deal as...
- British Business and Trade Secretary said, "We already have a strong trade and investment relationship with the Gulf nations."
- She said, "The GCC represents an enormous opportunity for UK firms, whether it’s selling brilliant British food and drink products."
Science
Humans must stay in control of AI, European trade union chief warns
BERLIN, GERMANY — No employee should be “subject to the will of a machine”, European trade union chief Esther Lynch...
- In the same way that EU treaties protect health and safety in the workplace, rules are needed to guarantee “the human-in-control principle” when it comes to AI, Lynch said.
- Lynch, general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation since last December, will head the four-day ETUC Congress that kicks off in the German capital.
Geostrategy
SCCI discusses trade with Guatemalan, Indonesian delegations
SHARJAH, UAE - The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has discussed strengthening trade and economic ties with diplomatic...
- The discussions focused on amplifying bilateral relations in industry, agriculture, food security, livestock and broadening trade exchanges.
- SCCI invited Indonesian businessmen to visit Sharjah to see the progress on existing projects and experience the facilities the emirate offers.
Geostrategy
Iran, Indonesia sign trade agreement during Raisi visit
Indonesia and Iran signed a trade agreement in Jakarta where President Joko Widodo hosted his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi. Tehran...
- Under the pact, Iran will provide easier access for Indonesian exports including vegetable oil, cocoa, coffee and tobacco.
- Jakarta would lower tariffs on Iranian exports to Indonesia, including oil and its derivative products, minerals, chemicals and iron.
Qantas: stolen data from 5.7 million customers leaked online
Sydney, Australia -- Australian airline Qantas said Sunday that data from 5.7 million customers stolen in a major cyberattack in...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
US proposes $8B arms deal with Israel; Biden plans strikes on Houthis as Gaza aid faces Trump-era cuts
The US proposes an $8 billion arms deal with Israel, plans intensified strikes on Yemen's Houthis, while Israel considers cutting...
Geostrategy
Palestinian Authority suspends Al Jazeera broadcasts
The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday ordered the suspension of broadcasts by Qatar-based Al Jazeera across the Palestinian territories, accusing the...
‘Numb’ New Orleans grapples with horror of deadly truck attack
New Orleans, United States - The celebratory atmosphere of Bourbon Street in New Orleans, long an American byword for indulgence and...
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Geostrategy
UN: Israel’s strikes on Gaza hospitals may constitute war crimes, urges independent probe
The UN's 23-page report, "Attacks on Hospitals During the Escalation of Hostilities in Gaza," documented 136 strikes on 27 hospitals...
- The world body's 23-page report, entitled "Attacks on hospitals during the escalation of hostilities in Gaza", looked at the period from October 7, 2023 to June 30, 2024
- The report said attacks on hospitals typically involved missile strikes on hospital buildings, the destruction of facilities, shooting of civilians, and sieges.
South Korea’s Yoon: from star prosecutor to president facing arrest
Yoon is under investigation for his martial law declaration and faces criminal charges of insurrection, which could result in life...
- Investigators sought an arrest warrant against Yoon which a court issued on Tuesday.
- If arrested, Yoon would become the first S.Korean president detained before impeachment procedures
Geostrategy
UN experts demand Israel face consequences for alleged Gaza war crimes and genocide claims
The experts called for urgent, independent and thorough investigations into alleged serious violations of international law, saying Israel's continued impunity...
- Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed more than 45,500 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians
- The experts highlighted alleged crimes against humanity committed by Israel "including murder, torture, sexual violence.'